This Thursday, August 14, is the 90th anniversary of Social Security becoming a cornerstone of economic stability for millions of American families. On that date in 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the landmark law creating an innovative program to protect senior citizens, widows, and dependent children from what he called “the hazards and vicissitudes of
Watch Tim Lewis with BRTV’s “Chasing Time” interview Frances Perkins Center Acting Executive Director Amanda Hatch.
“Throughout her lifetime, Frances Perkins often lived and found respite at her family’s homestead in Newcastle. We invite you to join us as we explore the Frances Perkins National Monument and her enduring legacy as Secretary of Labor who was integral to the creation of Social Security.” – AARP Join AARP at the Frances Perkins
“The Frances Perkins National Monument represents a years-long effort by historians and others to honor Perkins, the first female cabinet secretary in American history.” – Susan Cover for Spectrum News Click here to read the full article.
Read the latest news coverage on Frances Perkins from March 2025, including an interview between Facing History’s Jessica Weingartner and FPC’s Giovanna Gray Lockhart – Frances Perkins: The Most Consequential Woman You’ve Never Heard of Giovanna Gray Lockhart gave a keynote address on “The Only Woman in the Room” at the University of Maine earlier
Photograph: FPC Executive Director Giovanna Gray Lockhart delivers remarks at the Department of Labor. President Biden’s signing of the proclamation for the Frances Perkins National Monument at the Department of Labor on December 16th garnered widespread state and national news. Please find links to some of the articles and videos below: USA Today Another USA
Photograph: Senator Cameron Reny, Senate President Mattie Daughtry, and U.S. Senator Angus King at the Department of Labor. “Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, the Chairman of the Senate National Parks subcommittee, are applauding the official designation of the Frances Perkins Homestead in Newcastle as a National Monument. The announcement was
Photograph: FPC Executive Director Giovanna Gray Lockhart delivering remarks at the Department of Labor. Click here to read the NPCA press release. Click here to read the White House fact sheet.
The Secretary of Labor “quite blew our poor Undersecretary off his end of the phone.” -Diary of Jay Pierrepont Moffat, Chief of the Western European Division, U.S. Department of State. The White House Historical Association Rubenstein Center Scholarship, October 23, 2024, features Frances Perkins, presented by Rebecca Brenner Graham, Research Fellow and former FPC summer
Frances Perkins and Historical Memory By Rebecca Brenner Graham / Made by History October 21, 2024 “The current potentially historic moment for American women is deeply connected to Perkins becoming a rising icon in American historical memory. Current events shape memories of the past — just as historical memory shapes the present.” Read ‘Made by
Click here to read a new Boston Herald piece, “The lady behind Labor Day,” by
This Thursday, August 14, is the 90th anniversary of Social Security becoming a cornerstone of
Watch Tim Lewis with BRTV’s “Chasing Time” interview Frances Perkins Center Acting Executive Director Amanda
“Throughout her lifetime, Frances Perkins often lived and found respite at her family’s homestead in
on September 7th, 2025 at 2 p.m.
The Frances Perkins National Monument is open regular hours on Sunday 9/7/25. However, guests should plan to leave the parking lot before 2 p.m.
The lot will re-open for visitors to the grounds and trails on Monday, September 8th, dawn to dusk.